


When We Were Young

by OperationFCC



Series: Tumblr Sheith Prompts and Drabbles [8]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Childhood Friends, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Orphan Keith, Orphan Shiro, SHEITH - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-07-24
Packaged: 2018-12-06 10:46:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11599026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OperationFCC/pseuds/OperationFCC
Summary: Shiro and Keith reminisce on the garrison's rooftop the night before Shiro leaves for mission control.





	When We Were Young

**Author's Note:**

> An anon drabble request on Tumblr for "the night before Kerberos." I hope you enjoy it!

The cloudless sky gave way to a cold desert night, and Keith tugged at his jacket, wrapping it tighter around himself as a light breeze swept over the Garrison roof.  Despite the chill, he liked it up here.  It was isolated and quiet -- the perfect place to gaze up at a full moon that illuminated the arid landscape.  

Keith hadn’t been able to get out of his own head in the cramped silence of his bunker, but somehow, his thoughts were more bearable here beneath the stars.  Classes were almost out and cadets would be going home for the summer.  Of course, Keith didn’t have much of a home to go to, but thanks to the Garrison’s new housing program, he was welcomed to stay until term resumed.

 _Yay for me_.

And Shiro was graduating tomorrow.  Graduating and going to space.  Keith frowned, laying back on the threadbare blanket that was spread out beneath him, tucking a hand behind his head.  He reached up and traced a constellation with his fingers.   _I can’t follow you where you’re going._  With a sigh, he let his arm fall limply beside him with a deadened thud.

The door to the roof opened, and Shiro stepped through the threshold.  He glanced around until he spotted Keith, who sat up at the sound of his sudden appearance.  Shiro couldn’t help the relieved smile that pulled at his lips.  He hadn’t seen Keith all day and was hoping to find him before he turned in for the night.  Tomorrow, after the ceremony, it was straight to mission control for him, and there wouldn’t be any time for a meaningful goodbye.

Shiro felt his chest tighten. _Goodbye_.  It wouldn’t be forever, but six months was a damn long time to be away from home -- from him.

“Hey, I thought I’d find you up here,” he said as he made his way over, sitting down on the blanket beside him.  There wasn’t much space that separated them, but neither of them seemed to notice, like it was the most natural thing in the world.  “Hungry?”  Shiro lifted a white paper bag that had _Planet Subs_ written across it and a rocket ship taking off behind the bold lettering.  

“You kidding?” Keith chuckled as he rummaged through the bag and pulled out a sub.  “We haven’t eaten Planet Subs in… Man, how long has it been?”

Shiro hummed out a sound of contemplation before the memory settled into the forefront of his mind.  “When we were kids.  I couldn’t have been older than twelve, thirteen maybe?  It was summer time, but we were out playing anyway and got hungry.  Mrs. Norbury had just given me my allowance so we had enough money to go to our favorite sub place.”

A small, wistful smile tugged at Keith’s lips. “Feeling a little nostalgic?” he asked before taking a bite from his sandwich.

“Kind of hard not to be,” Shiro replied with a shrug that probably wasn’t as nonchalant as he’d hoped.  With a sigh, he realized that he didn’t have much of an appetite and leaned back, bracing against his arms as he turned his eyes up to the sky.  Their days in foster care were long gone, and yet he couldn’t help but think about them every now and again.  

With sunrise destined to separate them, it was difficult for Shiro not to look back on the rough, early days of their childhoods that brought them so close together.

“Hey, what are you thinking about?”

His friend’s voice pulled him back to the present, and Shiro breathed out a soft sigh.  “When we met.  Remember that?”

“How could I forget?” Keith grimaced.  “Those kids were being assholes to you.”

Shiro chuckled.  “Yeah.  You punched one of them in the face and made him cry.  He was a lot bigger than you, too.”

“Yeah, well… they shouldn’t have been messing with you,” Keith muttered as he finished off the last bit of his food and dusted off his hands.  He adjusted himself so he could sit cross-legged, leaning forward and absentmindedly picking at the blanket.  When he spoke again, it was clear that Shiro wasn't the only one suffering from nostalgia.  “You’ve done a lot for me too, you know.  Paid me back twenty-fold when I... started going down a bad path. ”

“We’ve been through a lot,” the older man said quietly.

“And now you’re leaving.”  The words fell from Keith’s lips before he could stop them, and he scrambled to correct himself, “I-I mean, I’m happy for you, Shiro, I am.  This has been your dream since we were kids, and I’m so proud of you.  I just…” he sighed, glancing away as heat filled flushed his cheeks.

A brief moment of silence stretched between them before Shiro spoke again, and his voice was unmistakably somber, “I’m going to miss you, too, Keith. It.. almost makes me not want to go.”

Shiro felt the tension ripple down his back as he said the words, realizing that they may have revealed more about his feelings than he intended.  He chanced a glance at the younger man who was staring back at him now, eyes slightly widened and lips parted.  As their gazes met, Shiro felt a deep ache in his chest as he was finally forced to admit to himself just how much he loved the man beside him.

Shiro swallowed past the tightness in his throat and, against his better judgement, went on, “I know it’s only for six months, but…” He let out a shaky, humorless laugh.  “...we’ve never been apart for so long, you know?  And when I get back, I’m afraid things will be different.”

Keith never imagined that Shiro would have fears that mirrored his own, and he wasn’t sure what to make of what he said: _it almost makes me not want to go._  For his own sake, he tried not to assume too much.  “I’ll be here waiting when you get back so you can tell me all about it” Keith promised.  “So, live out that dream, space man.  No regrets.”

He held out his hand to Shiro and nodded, giving him an encouraging smile.

Shiro smiled back at him, breathing out a quiet chuckle through his nose, as he clasped his hand around Keith’s.  He pulled him forward and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, bringing him into a tight hug that was returned in full.

For a moment, it seemed like neither wanted to be the first to let go as they etched into their minds what it felt like to hold each other.  Finally, they parted, deciding that any words left unsaid could be spoken upon Shiro’s return.

Besides, it was only six months.

**Author's Note:**

> Say hi to me on Tumblr!
> 
> Username: sword-and-sheith


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